The Seize of Incolumisa
by Gryffingirl
Summary: The horrors of the war against the Dark side have reached an all time high. Death Eaters seize the village Ginny Weasley lives in, and she is forced to take into her home a very unexpected Death Eater – Draco Malfoy. ** G/D **
1. Voldemort's Decision

Summary: The horrors of the war against the Dark side have reached an all time high. Death Eaters seize the village Ginny Weasley lives in, and she is forced to take into her home a very unexpected Death Eater – Draco Malfoy. ** G/D **

A/N:     First and foremost, I have to give LOTS of credit to one of my favorite books, "Corelli's Mandolin" by Louis de Bernieres. This story is based on the part of the plot of this book – like the fact that Draco is forced into Ginny's home because of a war, and many other things. I obviously made up a lot of things to accompany his plot, but he does get most of the credit.

            Secondly, this will be Ginny/Draco… obviously. 

Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once! Harry Potter and characters belong to J.K. Rowling, who I am in no way affiliated with. Plot belongs to Louis de Bernieres. 

Chapter 1: Voldemort's Plan 

Incolumisa was a most beautiful island. Only mere miles off the southwest coast of England, it was a kind of landmass with natural wonders to amaze any soul. Waves could hardly wait to greet its beautiful shoreline and kiss the jagged rocks that bordered it. Clouds rarely stopped to rest on its luxurious mountains with peaks so high they skimmed the sky. 

The very earth upon the island was heavy with the weight of nostalgia, for it had existed off the coast of England for over a thousand years. However, only few people knew of this place, and those very few who did were all _wizards_.

Incolumisa was an island only visible to the magical eye. It was a very fairly small landmass, and consisted of a population of about forty people, who were living on this hidden island because they _themselves_ needed to be hidden.

With the rise of the Dark Order, Dumbledore, as head of the Order Against Evil, decided it was time to bring the island to use once again. Incolumisa had been used during Voldemort's first rise to power. Many important wizards, such as the Minister of Magic, were in need of protection and were put on the island, for Voldemort did not know about it. Most inhabitants were old wizards who had lived there since the first rise of the Dark Order.

Harry Potter had been moved to the island recently, for when it came time to ensure his safety, Dumbledore and the rest of the Order Against Evil decided this was the best thing to do. 

Harry, now 22 years old, lived in the small cottage at the top of the hill less than a mile from the shoreline with his beloved girlfriend, Ginny Weasley. Down the hill, only a short distance away, lived the happily married Ron and Hermione Weasley. 

Life was never perfect for these four, but they managed to get by. Recent events, however, changed many things.

Death Eaters had increased in number, and the amount of defending fighters for the battlefield was slowly diminishing. Harry had, since leaving Hogwarts, wanted to join the fight, but Dumbledore only accepted those over 25 years of age. The rule, however, was taken away, giving Harry the opportunity to fight. After arguments and tears, he and Ginny agreed it was all for the best if he joined. Ron had made the same decision, although his took more consideration; not only was he married to Hermione, but also, she had been carrying his baby for three months.

Ginny lamented at her loss and, but knew the cause was more important.

On the day of Harry's departure, they held each other on the front lawn of their small cottage. 

In the shade of a peach tree, Harry kissed her again. And again. By now, both their mouths were sore and on the verge of bruising, but they didn't care. 

" I'm sorry," he whispered, pressing his face into her red curls.

Ginny hugged him tighter. " It _isn't_ your fault, Harry. Don't be."

She had come to understand that his obligation to fight against the Dark side was in no way his fault. Even if she could, she would not prevent him from going. 

To assuage the drama, Harry Disapparated in the blink of an eye, causing a now teary Ginny to gape blankly at the spot in which he had been standing only moments ago. 

The war, or whatever it was to be called, against the Dark Side had reached a vicious point. Ginny was so inured to the Dark Order and it ways. It had become a part of everybody's lives, had reeked into the hearts of innocents and spread its discord throughout the wizarding world. 

Voldemort's second rise to power had impacted the lives of many, as it never had. The horrors had reached an all time high, and Death Eaters were more active than ever. They had seized small wizard communities, villages that consisted of both muggles and wizards. Many suffered by the hands of Voldemort's dangerous supporters. 

The Dark Lord had not only revived himself to be worse than ever, but he had somehow created a mass organization of supporters for his cause. They seemed to be everywhere, and most were fighting against soldiers like Harry on battlefields.

Ginny ached for Harry. Moments after he had Disapparated, she collapsed in the shade of the peach tree and began to cry.

She knew she would have gone with him in an instant, but she was not allowed because she was a witch. Dumbledore had taken away the age rule for soldiers, but he did not permit women to join the battlefield. 

Ginny felt completely helpless, staring at the grass beneath her that had begun to blur. She wished she could be more active in the fight. Harry, on the other hand, was glad for this rule, for he wanted Ginny to stay on the island, where she was safe from Voldemort and his supporters.

* * * * *

He opened his eyes and adjusted them to his new surroundings. There was dewy grass beneath his feet that dampened the hem of his long robes. By the looks of the place, it could have been a moor, but he could not tell because of the darkness. He had been told to Disapparate and Apparate instantly at his master's side whenever he felt his Dark Mark burn.

Other figures, covered from head to toe in black robes that dragged were approaching Voldemort from different directions.

Draco Malfoy's heavy heart weighed like a boulder inside of him. With every apprehensive step he took to draw nearer to the Dark Lord, he found the incomprehensible boulder grow heavier and heavier.

Voldemort patiently waited as his pathetic supporters did their best to quickly form their tight circle around him. His thin red eyes gleamed most maliciously, as they always did.

" Death Eaters," he called lazily, his eerie voice quavering in the silent air. " I am pleased with our successful invasion of Middle's Town – a task which would have been unlikely to succeed had it not been for Richard."

Richard Lestranges squirmed excitedly next to Draco as he bowed graciously. " Thank you, my Lord," he replied promptly.

" And Draco…" the Dark Lord continued. Draco felt these words flow into his ears and through his body like a cold spirit, turning his insides frigid.

_Don't look the Dark Lord straight in the eyes_, Lucius' voice repeated in his mind.

" Your mistakes shall not be tolerated next time."

It was like Draco had swallowed an ice cube. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth to fight his apprehension. " Yes, my Lord," he managed to mutter. These words tasted bitter on his tongue. 

He knew, from horrible experience, that the Dark Lord tolerated no mistakes. He had felt to indescribable pain of the Cruciatus Curse, had suffered the thousand invisible knives stabbing his skin. 

Voldemort returned to the center of the circle. " I am pleased, but nonetheless, there are more places to seize, more wizards and witches to turn to our side."

He began to saunter about the dewy grass again, and as if he were talking aloud to himself, he continued, " We're thinking too small. I can't imagine taking over all of England by seizing one pathetic little village at a time. Yes, Death Eaters, it's time to take a bigger step."

Voldemort's eyes suddenly became glazed and his lipless mouth curved into what Draco supposed was some sort of sick smile. " Because of my faithful spy, I have been able to obtain a most useful piece of information. It seems the other side has managed to fool us by hiding its most faithful supporters on a hidden island, known as Incolumisa." He waved his bony white hands and gestured toward the Death Eaters. " On the island, resides some of the most important supporters of the other side, and when we seize this island, and seize it we shall, the Dark Order will be turned onto these supporters!"

A fresh wave of excitement traveled throughout the circle, as almost every Death Eater smiled beneath their expressionless masks at the prospect of using this opportunity to impress their master.

" We shall plan this seize most carefully. According to my spy, it is an island heavily guarded by heavy magical forces. Isn't that right, Severus?"

A soft voice replied from somewhere in the circle, " Yes, my Lord."

Draco watched as the tall thin figure standing across from him bowed briefly. It was almost impossible to believe that this was the same man who had taught him Potions for seven years. 

Draco marveled at how Snape could hide his loyalty to Voldemort from Dumbledore. He himself felt he could never again look Dumbledore straight in those twinkling blue eyes and lie to him every day, as Snape did – that took a lot of courage.

Voldemort continued his plan while Draco surveyed the scene. He could not tell if any of the other Death Eaters were paying attention, for all he saw was one white mask next to another. He fixed his stance to match those around him by pulling his shoulder back and standing as though he was proud of his position to serve the Dark Lord.

But proud, he wasn't. Draco had simply been raised to support the winning side. He had, mistakenly, followed his own father's footsteps and ended up stepping into the circle among the other Dark Side supporters. He agreed with some of the cause – ridding the world of filth such as mudbloods and muggles. And yet, he was unhappy standing within the ranks of the pathetic Death Eater, all whom were willing to live in the shadow of one powerful wizard. The way Draco saw it, there were only two sides in this war, and Draco had been led to choose this one.

* * * * *

Ginny saw a figure coming up the hill. She remained under the tree, squinting through the glaring sunlight, and saw it was Hermione.

Trudging up the hill was quite a strain to anybody, especially a pregnant woman, so Ginny jumped up to greet and help her friend reach her shaded lawn.

As of now, there was very little difference in the size of Hermione's stomach, for she was only three months into the pregnancy. Ginny often liked to bombard Hermione with questions about her health and symptoms, and Hermione would answer patiently with answers she had found in her pregnancy books.

Today, however, was not the day for that sort of talk. As the girls took their seats on the patch of grass next to the peach tree, Hermione suddenly let out a dry sob. 

Ginny put her arms around her friend's shoulders. Both had reached a mutual understanding of one another's fears. Ginny did not have to clutch any sort of fear that her own future child would grow up without a father, like Hermione did, but she did not want to spend the rest of her life with one less brother. Already, Bill, Charlie and the twins were fighting too (Ministry members such as Percy and her father were needed for their own tasks). Mrs. Weasley remained with her husband and Percy at the Burrow. Despite Ron's and Ginny's urging them to move to Incolumisa, they were adamant about staying in their own home during the war. The men had to go to their jobs, and Mrs. Weasley wanted to stay and take care of them. Ginny had hesitated on her decision to move in with Harry, but Molly advocated it. She wanted her only daughter, Hermione, and Ron to be safe during these times and support Harry. That was how the four had come to live there.

 " All we can do for now is hope," said Ginny sadly. She stared out into the bright sky. The weather was currently not compatible with her mood.

Hermione forced a small smile. " At least we're safe, Ginny. At least Ron and Harry can go and fight knowing we won't be in harm's way."

" Oh, that's true," Ginny replied. Incolumisa did give her a sense of security she felt she only had at Hogwarts. 

The girls did not know, that Death Eaters around England, in hushed whispers beneath their masks, were conspiring to seize that very same island.

* * * * *

A/N: A bit short, but there's your chapter one – expect more soon. Please review *


	2. War of the Worlds

A/N: Harry's story will be told briefly in this chapter, but don't expect a whole lot of him throughout the story. The usual disclaimer applies, plus the **massive** amount of credit I give to Louis De Bernieres, and for this chapter title, H.G. Wells. 

Chapter 2: War of the Worlds 

Every morning since Harry's departure, Ginny awoke with a tired sigh.

She missed waking up to his warmth next to her. No matter how much bright sunshine poured through the window, no matter how calming the drifting music of the waves nearby were, Ginny could not have felt worse. 

It had been a month since her boyfriend left to fight and Ginny had not yet received one letter. She was leaning towards optimistic when she tried to tell herself that if Harry were dead (a prospect that made her shudder), she would have received some kind of notification confirming it. A nagging, rather dark side of her, however, assumed he could be lying lost in a ditch somewhere.

Ginny screamed as loudly as she could, flailing her arms on the white sheets as if she were a child.

" Ginny!" she heard Hermione's concerned voice drift in through the open window of her bedroom. 

The frustrated girl pulled herself out of bed and down the stairs to greet her friend. If there was any sort of comfort Ginny had, it was Hermione. She too was more than affected by the parting with her loved one, and for the past three weeks, she had visited Ginny every day. The presence of Hermione abated Ginny's frustrations, for the girls could relate to each other on many levels.

When Ginny pulled open her front door, Hermione was clutching a shoulder bag and sitting beneath the peach tree with beads of sweat adorning her face. 

" Hermione, I told you. I'll go and visit you. You shouldn't have to walk up that crazy hill every day just to see me!"

Ginny approached her friend and sat beside her. Hermione wiped the sweat on her forehead. 

" Don't bother coming. The exercise is good for my body. Besides, I don't feel like waiting until past noon for you to finally get out of bed and see me!"

She nudged the redhead in the ribs, and Ginny found herself giggling. Her frustrations had not escaped her, but she had to admit, she felt better. 

Mr. Nonas, a wizard who had lived in the village with his muggle wife for more than fifty years, waved as he strolled by the cottage. 

" Good afternoon," he called softly. The girls waved and nodded back, not expecting more from the old wizard. He had retired from the Department of Mysteries after Voldemort's descent to power over twenty years ago. He was among many other workers from that department living in their secret village, for the Dark side often targeted them. For obvious reasons, those same workers were very solitary people and mostly kept to themselves. 

Ginny offered a glass of juice, and Hermione accepted. They stepped into the cool kitchen. 

" What's in the bag?" Ginny asked curiously. 

" Oh," Hermione set it on the wooden table and opened it. " It's my pregnancy books. My mum sent me one of those dictionaries of children's names, so I brought it with me to show you. Of course, I wouldn't dream of finding a name in there." She sprawled the books on the surface of the table.

Ginny set a glass of cold orange juice on the table. " What are you going to name the baby?"

Hermione fixed her with a sorrowful stare and forced a small smile. " Ron and I are going to decide together."

Ginny did not press on. She seated herself beside her friend and opened one of the books, silently observing a picture of a witch's belly growing steadily bigger by the second.

" Hermione, you're going to be _big_," Ginny remarked as if realizing this fact for the first time.

" Hmm?" Ginny heard a faint clicking noise coming from Hermione and looked up. 

Between two long wooden needles, there hung some kind of small square. It looked almost watery and Ginny felt compelled to stroke it.

" What are you knitting?" 

Hermione smiled. " I'm making different squares for now. When they're done, I'm going to sew them together to make a blanket for the baby." She stopped knitting and patted her belly benignly. 

Ginny reached out and caressed the knitted fabric, which felt like it looked – soft like water and smooth like glass. 

" I got the yarn imported from France. I think it contains a bit of veela hair and parts of an invisibility cloak." Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out different colored spools of yarn that shimmered exactly like the one she was knitting. " I've got it in different colors for the quilt."

" Can I try too?" Ginny asked. She had learned to knit from her mother when she was young. 

Hermione handed her a spool of shimmering red yarn and two knitting needles. As her memory was a bit rusty, Ginny needed Hermione's help to get started, but she eventually got the hang of it. Soon, two pairs of needles were clicking rhythmically in the small kitchen of the cottage.

* * * * * 

With the rapt attention that was expected of a Death Eater in the presence of the Dark Lord, Draco stood silently in his circle.

The plan to seize the island was being gone over once again. It had been nearly a month since Voldemort's decision to do it. Since then, the Death Eaters busied themselves by thinking up powerful charms to break the magical shield that protected the island. Any idiot knew they simply could not Apparate into the village (Wormtail did not and was punished severely for the suggestion). 

The first part of the plan was more than simple – Voldemort and the Death Eaters were to Apparate to the furthest tip of England's southwest coast. For lack of a more inventive idea, they were to travel by broomstick to the location of the sea where Incolumisa was to be (it would be invisible to them). Using an extremely forceful Revealing charm, spiced up with a little Dark magic, the island would show itself. 

Now they were going over the possible charms to use to break the shield protecting Incolumisa. Richard Lestranges, who had made himself quite a prominent member of the group, was pouring ideas out of his mouth like wine into a goblet. 

" Yes, Richard. A Repelling charm may be useful," said the Dark Lord, after he'd finished speaking. He looked pensive for a moment. " We shall think about it."

" My Lord, I have a question," a voice spoke near Draco in the circle. He sneered under his mask when he recognized the voice as his father's. " Are we to kill everybody on this island?"

Voldemort glanced at Lucius disdainfully. " This is a seize, Lucius. We want to spread the Dark Order, not kill its potential followers." His bony pale finger was twitching on his wand, as though anxious to torture him. He desisted and spoke again. " But Lord Voldemort does not like mudbloods and muggles, and some may live on this island. They will be killed upon our arrival…"

Draco knew that his father, under his mask, had the biggest smile pasted on his face. He himself felt apprehensive and slightly sick at the idea of killing a person. He'd joined the Dark Order only a year ago, and had never experienced what Lucius referred to as "_the gleeful joy in your heart knowing you're ridding the world of another damn mudblood_".

He knew when the time came, and come it will, a gleeful joy in his heart would not erupt. He felt comfortable talking about killing others, others dying at the other end of his wand, but committing the act was definitely something else. 

* * * * *

Since his arrival, Harry had not been involved in a single battle. He had learned that Death Eaters were a furtive lot, and hardly ever provoked violence upon the Order unless they had to.

The war, much to Harry's surprise, was not all bloodshed and violence. Some troops were commanded by Dumbledore to search for the Death Eaters hiding in Albania, and Harry had been part of this journey through wilderness for a month now.

These troops were mostly Hogwarts graduates like him, and hardly any older. Those who were chosen for the journey were supposed to be without children, as the trip was very perilous. For this reason, Ron was not permitted to go.

Harry became well acquainted with the others, and even in the absence of Ron, he felt he had friends by his side. He also recognized a few, like Seamus Finnigan and Colin Creevey. There were almost fifty wizards involved. They traveled by foot through the thick forests of Albania, searching for a possible place their enemies could be hiding.

As the days progressed, the troops grew more and more emaciated. Food was very scarce, even though Dumbledore sent them parcels of food by owl. They continued through the woods at a quick pace, branches snagging their robes and cutting their bodies. When rain fell, their shoes gathered water and stayed that way for the longest time, nearly rotting their toes, unless fixed with a certain charm. The cold was bitter too and Harry found his, and many others', noses had grown permanently red. Sometimes snow punctured through their cloaks, chilling them to the bone.

And yet, Harry persisted. He had received numerous letters from Ginny, and was more than compelled to write her back. However, owls were only to sent under extreme emergencies, as the troops were not to be found and owls would definitely draw attention.

Harry thought of her always, imagining her frustration at the fact that she had not received a single letter from him. She was on the top of his mind during the days the troops walked silently through thousands of trees that all looked alike, to the nights he lay in his tent, staring at the shadows of those trees through the sheer covering.

One day, a bit more than a month since Harry had commenced the journey, everybody was trudging through the thick snow that had come down the previous night. Wizards kept stopping to put charms on his shoes to prevent the snow from leaking in. 

Suddenly, something flew past Harry's arm like a bullet, singing his robes.

He clutched his arm and felt warmth on his cold skin. Blood suddenly stained the snow next to his foot.

His troops turned around to face the origin of the hex.

No sooner had he turned when Harry heard a wizard behind him cry out in pain. As quickly as the first one had come, hundreds of hexes flew by their heads from all different directions.

" They've surrounded us!" Harry heard one of his Order yell. " Get in a circle!" The troops had trained for this sort of an attack.

Harry felt another hex singe the top of his head and scanned the dark forest. He caught glimpses of the enemy hidden behind trees mere feet away from where he stood. He fired a well-chosen curse at a dark shadow in the near distance, but saw the figure avoid it by jumping behind the tree again. 

In a matter of seconds, chaos had ensued, ruining what had just been a peaceful atmosphere. Curses were flying from all sides and soon, blood was flying with them.

When Harry turned to attack a less protected part of the circle, he saw a group of wizards who had already been injured amassed in the middle, protected by the fighters encircling them. Seamus was nursing a scarlet hole in his leg through a tear in his robes. He saw Harry looking at him and nodded defiantly. 

Harry carefully stepped over the injured to the other side of the circle, where Death Eaters had began to approach them even closer. He continued to shoot more curses until he finally felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. Disregarding it as best as he could, he persisted. A small hex was not going to bother him.

When his shoulder started to smoke, the wizard next to Harry in the circle put it out. Harry thanked him silently. 

For what seemed like an eternity, the fighting continued. More soldiers joined the injured in the middle. Harry felt hot liquid drip down his arm beneath his robe. He saw his blood stain the fabric, but ignored it. Soon, the number of hexes coming from each side decreased and as suddenly as the battle had erupted, the forest was still again.

* * * * *

" Ginny! Ginny!" 

Hermione's panicked voice carried through the air and reached Ginny where she was sitting beneath the peach tree. She set down the pregnancy book she had been reading and jumped up to greet her anxious friend. " What is it?"

Hermione was gasping for breath; she had run up the hill at top speed in the scorching heat. She swallowed and pointed her finger at the sky.

Ginny followed the direction and squinted in the glare of the sun to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. She saw small black pinpricks, hundreds of them, amassed like a horde of fleas in the air. They seemed to be drawing nearer and nearer. 

Hermione's shouting had caught the attention of Mrs. Nonas, who was tending her garden in the lawn next to Ginny's. She adjusted the brim of her straw hat and gazed up at the sky.

The pinpricks were becoming considerably larger, and Ginny saw, in utter consternation, that they were _people_ who seemed to be wearing all black.

What happened next was something the girls had no warning for. As the people became larger and clearer, a whisp of green shot out of the air and before Ginny could even comprehend what was happening, she found herself staring at a grisly, neon Dark Mark floating in the midst of the beautiful blue sky. It soared higher and higher, until the green light it expelled had cast itself on the roofs of all the cottages in the village.

She heard Mrs. Nonas drop a pot on the earth and call her husband's name. It was obvious she'd seen the Dark Mark before, for she screamed at the top of her lungs, " Death Eaters!"

No sooner had she shouted it that the horde of people flew past Ginny and Hermione, causing them to fall backwards from the force of wind. The landed just as abruptly on the dusty street in front of the cottage, spraying a cloud of dust and sand into their eyes. Ginny squeezed them tightly shut and realized she had been clutching Hermione's hand, which she didn't let go. In the distance, she heard a rapt, high voice giving what she supposed were commands. Mrs. Nonas was still shouting for her husband. 

Hermione coughed. " Ginny…"

Ginny opened her eyes and saw that the dust was beginning to settle. She saw one figure in black robes approaching them quickly, holding over the face a white, expressionless mask. 

Mrs. Nonaperio's previous scream processed through Ginny's mind for the first time: _Death Eaters._

The figure pointed a wand at them and the muffled voice beneath the mask spoke. " Inside the house. Now."

The girls obeyed, shuddering with fear. The Death Eater followed them into the kitchen and shut the door.

Ginny was still clutching her friend's hand and her knuckles were turning white as a result. The girls kept their eyes fixedly upon the tip of the Death Eater's wand. They backed up as far as they could from it, and hit the wall with their backs. 

The Death Eater seemed surprisingly relaxed, as though this sort of thing was everyday routine. Ginny observed, however, that the hand holding the wand was very pale. 

The other hand reached up and pulled off the expressionless mask.

Behind it, the girls saw, was a pale and sweaty face. He looked no older than Ginny, and had prominent cheekbones, a pointed nose, and piercing gray eyes so cold they made Ginny almost shiver. A think whisp of silvery-blonde hair hung onto his face.

" You!" Hermione's chest was heaving and her face was turning beet red. She narrowed her eyes and pointing a shaking finger at the intruder. " _Malfoy_."

Disregarding Hermione, the Death Eater stuck his white mask into the pocket of his heavy robes and pulled back the hood, revealing a head full of blonde hair. Ginny saw his nose twitch on his apathetic face. 

Keeping his wand arm steady, the man began to speak. " The Dark Lord shall come by soon," he said. His voice was deep and quiet, but the girls caught ever word. " He'll want to know who in here's a mudblood or a muggle." Ginny saw his gray eyes flicker at Hermione, causing her to clutch her friend's hand ever more tightly. " And I'll tell him, and he'll have you killed."

Hermione practically crushed Ginny's hand with this statement. Ginny looked over at her and saw naked fear in her chocolate eyes. 

" Well, we're witches," said Ginny defiantly. 

Draco sneered. He nudged his head towards Hermione. " She's a mudblood."

" How do _you_ know?" Ginny found herself shouting before she could stop herself. There was a monotonous buzzing sound in her numb mind that prevented her from thinking at all. 

Draco did not answer. He looked back at Hermione and met her fearful eyes. " I know."

" Well then, you're taking me too!"

Hermione tore her eyes away from Draco. " No," she said simply. Ginny could hear her voice shaking. She turned back to the Death Eater. " You're only going to kill me, you coward," she spat disdainfully.  

Draco seemed in no way affected by this, or if he was, he hid it.

Ginny stepped forward, ignoring the wand of the Death Eater pointed at her face. She wanted to scream, to throw anything she could at this – this creature. " Your 'master' can kill me too!"

" No, Ginny," said Hermione defiantly. She pulled her hand, causing Ginny to face her ill-fated friend. " Somebody has to tell Ron what happened. And I need you to take care of him for me. I won't let him lose three loved ones just because of _him_." 

As Draco listened distantly to Hermione's words, he caught the word _three_. Were they hiding somebody he was not aware of? Perhaps he should have come with another Death Eater. That way, they could watch the girls while he went to look for the third.

" Is there anybody else here?" he found himself asking. The girls shot daggers at him with their eyes. " Because if there is and you don't bring them out now, I assure you, they'll die," he added coldly. 

" You're already going to kill them, you ---," Ginny could not think of a name bad enough to be sufficient for Draco. Hermione had shushed her anyway.

It was at that moment that Draco eyes wandered around his surroundings. They rested on the small plates piled in the sink, the jug of milk on the smooth pine table, and the books and knitting needles that lay next to it.

The pastel-colored pink book caught his gaze and he stared at it in disbelief: _Practical Pregnancies_.

His eyes caught another, opened to an article entitled _Potions for a Pregnant Witch_. In fact, books of that sort seemed to be scattered all over the table.

His gaze returned to his hostages. Hermione's eyes bore through his. He suddenly, as though waking from a dream, realized with a sickening jolt the gravity of the situation.

He was the prominent figure of the room. He alone was permitted to decide who in this room would die and who would not. He was defying nature, defying the innate course of fate that was really supposed to make these decisions. 

It was a power Draco only dreamed of having, and yet, the sheer quantity of it made him sick.

There was an unnerving silence in the air. Ginny and Hermione knew Draco's decision was inevitable. The girls stared unblinkingly at their intruder, their pale and shaking hands clutched together.

Through the sheer curtain that hung over the glass on the kitchen door, Ginny saw a shadow draw nearer. Suddenly, the door burst open, and framed in the doorway stood a figure who made the sunshine illuminating around him seem dismal. 

A pair of gleaming red eyes scanned the room and rested on the trembling, ashen-faced girls. The lipless mouth sneered.

" I've disposed of three thus far… are there any in here?"

The unnaturally high voice cut through the tense air like a hot knife through butter. Ginny stared at the face she had heard so much about but never seen. Harry had been right, his frightening features were truly unforgettable.

Without thinking, without a single glance at Hermione, Draco opened his mouth to speak.

* * * * *

A/N: Gasp! This is the mother of cliffhangers, is it not? *  Please review!


	3. Ginny's Resistance

A/N: I unfortunately don't have a beta, so if you see a stupid typo or a slight spelling error, please keep this is mind * 

Chapter 3: Ginny's Resistance

Without thinking, without a single glance at Hermione, Draco opened his mouth to speak.

" Both witches."

Draco felt the words slip off his tongue before they processed into his numb mind. 

The Dark Lord nodded curtly, looking almost upset at missing a chance to kill somebody. He made his way out, flanked by two massive Death Eaters.

Even when the door snapped shut and Ginny saw Voldemort's shadow walk away, she continued to feel numb. She also didn't let go of Hermione's hand.

Hermione seemed to be having trouble processing everything as well. 

Draco spoke. " You are obliged to billet a Death Eater in your house. Failure to cooperate shall result in --," he paused, " the wrath of the Dark Lord."

" I'm not letting you stay here!" Ginny exclaimed promptly. She seemed to have come to her senses and her voice was dripping with disdain.

" Ginny…" started Hermione. Ginny felt her friend's hand loosen slightly. " I owe him my life. Besides, if we don't take him in, somebody else will, and they could kill me."

Ginny bit her lip and glanced at Draco. " But where will he sleep? I have one bedroom," she turned back to Hermione and added sharply, "and I'm not going to let you go home, so you'll be staying too."

" Ginny…" with the hand that wasn't clutching Ginny's, Hermione took her friends shoulder and turned her around. " he had the chance to kill me and he didn't. I owe him my _life_, and even though he doesn't know it, my child's." Ginny softened, so Hermione continued. " We'll have to give him the bed, and I won't hear any arguments."

They turned and faced him once again. " We've decided you can take the bedroom upstairs," said Hermione. Ginny scowled visibly.__

" I don't want to stay with you either, Weasley," muttered Draco acidly. " Dark Lord's rules. And the mudblood's right, if I were somebody else, she'd be dead."

If Hermione hadn't been clutching her hand, Ginny would have jumped at Draco, who had turned his back and was heading towards the door.

" I'd advise you not to leave the house. The Dark Lord will find any excuse to kill you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his mask, which he placed over his sneering face. He swept out the door and into the sunlight.

After seeing that he was properly gone, Ginny, finally letting go of Hermione's hand, walked over to the couch and dropped down on it. " Only ten minutes ago, we were sitting outside under the peach tree. And look at us now."

Hermione sat beside her friend. Her brows were furrowed in concentration. " I don't understand. How did they find out about this island?"

" Oh right…" Ginny had not thought of that at all. Leave it to Hermione to jump to that sort of question first, she thought.

" It has to have been an outside source," suggested Hermione, looking pensive. 

" You mean… a spy?"

Hermione nodded. " But, still. There aren't a lot of people on our side alone who know about this island, are there? I mean, there's Dumbledore, the Minister, and a bunch of other important people…"

" Maybe they were tortured," suggested Ginny, shuddering at the idea. She slumped back into the cushions and stared out the window at the sky that was growing steadily pink. 

Hermione jumped up. " Oh, what about Ron? Or Harry? They knew! They knew about the island! What if…"

Ginny gaped at her friend. _What if…_she thought. Ginny shook her head. " I don't think so," she said unsurely. " Dumbledore probably took extra precautions with them when they joined the Order. In fact, I'm sure Dumbledore's keeping an eye out on everybody, so it's much more likely this is the job of a spy."

The reason had poured out of her mouth only to assuage Hermione's fears, but after she said it, Ginny felt she believed it too. 

Hermione resumed her seat. She sighed – loudly. " Maybe…"

It was almost like the day Harry and Ron had first gone to fight. Just when the girls had begun to accept the fact that they were gone and had begun to resume their everyday life, something like this happened.

They stared out the window for a while, remaining silently in their seats. Their worries were beyond words now, and both began to slowly comprehend that whatever would come would come and they'd deal with it when it did.

When dusk had fallen upon the island and purple clouds began to adorn the sky and hide the orange sun, Draco walked back through the door of their cottage. 

Ginny and Hermione turned in their seats and saw the Death Eater take off his mask and stick it back into his pocket. 

" Do you two ever eat dinner, or am I the only one who gets hungry around here?"

As if on cue, Hermione's stomach growled. " I guess I should make something for us."

" No, I'll do it, Hermione. It's alright." She stood up and shot a cold glance at Draco. " Since _Hermione_ is hungry and all."

Draco seated himself at the kitchen table. He felt considerably awkward. He knew he was as uninvited in Ginny's home as a spider in a beehive, but he had been forced into the situation. He could either stay with the girls or be killed by Voldemort, and the latter was, without question, much worse.

And yet, as Ginny deliberately clanged the pots and slammed them on the stove as loudly as she could while shooting Draco looks of sheer antipathy, Draco felt he was probably better off dead. Hermione alone, he could probably have tolerated, for she seemed to accept his presence better than Ginny. The latter was, without a doubt, more annoying to him than anybody he'd ever met. Draco winced as she set a large glass bowl on the counter with a loud slam. It broke in her hands, which began to bleed freely.

Cursing deliberately and ceaselessly, Ginny grabbed her wand from the table and mended her cuts with well-chosen spells. Soon, they were properly bandaged. She, once again, glared angrily at Draco as though he had been the one to hurt her.

" _I _didn't slam the damn thing on the counter," he remarked with a raised eyebrow.

His indifference incensed Ginny further. She gave a small tut and turned her back to him, concentrating awfully hard on the contents in her pot. 

Soon, the smell of the cooking permeated the small kitchen and traveled throughout the house. Hermione, who had moved herself into the study (she didn't want to hear Ginny's banging), emerged into the kitchen almost instantly with a small smile on her face. 

" That smells great," she said, hoping to get to a better side of Ginny. " Is that porridge?"

" Yes it is and thank you, Hermione. I'll give you more." Ginny spooned the contents of the pot into two separate bowls and placed on in front of Hermione. She picked up the other one and became to eat it herself. 

Draco stood up and glared coldly and Ginny. " You're pushing it, Weasley," he muttered and walked away and up the stairs.

Hermione set her spoon in her bowl and gave her friend a rebuking look. " I don't want him here either Ginny, but…"

" I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just want to wipe that awful smirk on his face."

* * * * *

Draco stepped into Ginny's bedroom and was greeted by the fresh and slightly sweet smell of the ocean. He felt a soft and warm breeze caress his face and noticed that the window was open.

When he reached it to close it, he looked out onto the darkening sky. From the window, he could see the ocean glittering in the moonlight in the far distance. The music of the waves traveled through his ears like comforting music.

Incolumisa really was, without a doubt, a beautiful island. It was no wonder the wizards had kept it hidden. As he scanned his eyes from the dusty road in front of the cottage to the enormous mountains in the distance silhouetted in the darkness, he felt like the Death Eaters, including himself, were merely polluting it. 

A thump behind Draco interrupted his thoughts. " Open up!" he heard Ginny yell from the other side of the door.

With disgust and slight apprehension, he obeyed. To his surprise, she was holding a bowl of steaming porridge in her hands, although her face seemed to display some sort of inner conflict. 

" Is that for me to eat, or are you gonna throw it in my face?" he asked, eyeing the steam that wafted from its surface. 

Ginny pushed past him " Don't give me any ideas. I'm only giving you food because you saved my best friend's life. Otherwise, I'd kick your right out the door." She set the porridge on the desk and her eye caught a picture of her and Harry together taped to the wall. She took it and hastily stuck it in her pocket. 

" I'd gladly leave," he spat. " I don't want to live with you either."

Ginny's hand twitched, desperate to really throw the steaming porridge at his face. She, however, remembered Hermione's words and gave up the idea. 

Draco wanted to reach for the bowl and wolf it down, but Ginny remained leaning on the desk, eyeing him suspiciously. 

" Why did you do it?"

" Do what."

" Lie to… You-Know-Who."

Draco stared at Ginny. Why wasn't she leaving? He was beyond starving and it didn't help that the breeze had carried the smell of the porridge to him. The warm fumes were dancing enticingly around his nostrils, making his mouth water. " I don't know," he stated. 

" _Why_?" Ginny persisted.

" Why not? Who cares?" Draco was beginning to grow cranky from lack of sustenance. " Would you rather I didn't lie and have her killed?"

Ginny gave a frustrated sigh and breezed past Draco and out the door, which she slammed hard enough to shake the whole house.

Draco practically jumped at the bowl on the desk and spooned the warm food into his mouth. He gave a small contented moan as it slid down his throat. It tasted quite delicious. 

While chewing through a particularly large chunk of beef, Draco pondered Ginny's question. Why _had_ he lied? 

He had, since his days at Hogwarts, thought of Hermione as just another mudblood the world didn't need. But that afternoon, he had looked straight into Voldemort's pitiless eyes and felt nobody, not even Hermione, deserved to die that way.

His reasoning had more than one level. Hermione was also with child, Draco assumed. He knew no matter how cruel he was, he certainly did not descend to have a pregnant woman killed. 

Hidden in the depths of his mind, however, Draco had another motive to lie. He knew that if he had told the truth, if he had admitted that Hermione was a mudblood, Voldemort would have commanded Draco to kill her while he watched. Draco shuddered, despite the warm porridge in his body, at the thought of committing such an act. He began to form the hypothetical scene in his mind, where with a flash of green light, he would kill Hermione and the developing baby inside her. Ginny would scream and cry and attack Draco, who would feel nothing but numbness. And Voldemort… his lipless mouth would be curled into a smile, for to him, Hermione would be just another mudblood.

Without even realizing it, Draco cleaned the bowl. He leaned his elbows on the table and took notice of the small cracks in the paint. The gentle breeze played across his face. His fatigue seemed to have caught up with him, and Draco felt his eyelids grow heavy. He rested his head on the desk and closed his eyes, the distant sonata of the waves playing in his ear. He drifted off without another thought.

* * * * *

Hermione awoke early in the morning and noticed enormous spots of sweat on the sheets Ginny had spread out the previous night on the couch.

She took the sheet right off and went outside to wash it. The air was extremely humid and Hermione felt her curls sticking to the back of her neck.

Ginny was still asleep on the kitchen floor and Hermione did not expect her to wake for another few hours. It was still about 6:30 in the morning.

It seemed to be much cooler outside, for the sun was on the verge of rising. The weather in Incolumisa was very pleasant in the morning, and grew increasingly hotter during the day. 

In the shade of the peach tree, Hermione hung her sheet on a branch and stretched it out. She hoped none of the neighbors would decide to take an early walk and see the embarrassing sweat stains on her sheets.

She stared around at the village and felt the disturbance in the air that the Death Eaters had caused. She was still numb about what had happened less than twenty-four hours ago and felt beyond lucky to have been spared her baby's life. She leaned against the tree, wondering suddenly what Ron could be doing at this exact moment and how he'd react to the news of the seize.

Something furry brushed against Hermione's ankle, causing her to yelp – loudly. She stumbled backwards and glanced at the ground where she felt it in wide-eyed consternation. 

" Crookshanks!" 

Hermione's beloved ginger cat stared back at her with his squashed face. Hermione scooped up her pet in disbelief and stroked him. " Did you come up here just to see me?" Hermione hugged him tightly, smelling his warm fur on which slightly lingered the sporty, sometimes sweaty smell of her husband. By hugging her cat, she felt somewhat closer to him, wherever he was.

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon and cast its rays onto the sea. Stroking the cat absently, Hermione gazed around the street again. Her eyes rested on the small garden in the Nonas' front yard next door.

Hermione was suddenly hit with the heart-breaking realization that Mrs. Nonas had been a muggle. She stared at the garden in disbelief as tear stung her eyes. The small pink flowers Mrs. Nonas had cared for began to blur. 

Hermione heard a window open and looked up. She was greeted by Draco's sneering face sticking out of Ginny's bedroom window. 

" Did you scream?" he asked contemptuously. " You woke me up."

Hermione's attitude toward Draco had been altered since he saved her life, but she still hated him. " I didn't scream."

Draco scowled and rubbed his face. He glanced at his watch and his head disappeared from the window. 

Hermione carried Crookshanks inside and placed him on the kitchen floor. He quickly slid into the warmth of Ginny's blanket and did not come out. 

As quietly as she could, Hermione placed a pan on the stove and lit it. She stepped over Ginny as she gathered up eggs, bread, and sausages. With some magic, she had them sizzling and toasted in no time.

Draco came down the stairs. He was wearing the same black robes and a look of deep disgust. He, however, spotted Ginny asleep on the floor, and his face softened.

" Don't worry. She won't be awake until noon." Hermione tipped the sausages on a plate and set it on the table.

Draco swept past her and opened the kitchen door. " Too bad she isn't always like that," he remarked to himself as he stepped outside. That was definitely how he preferred Ginny to be – asleep.

As he walked down the hill, he thought of the previous night. He had fallen asleep at the desk and woken up the following morning with intense pains in his neck. But he remembered the gentle breeze from the ocean and felt there was no better way to fall asleep.

At the foot of the hill, Draco realized he had no idea where he was going or what he was doing. When he woke up that morning, he had felt compelled to simply leave the house, so he did. 

Draco continued walking. He glanced at the small cottages placed fortuitously at the side of the dusty road. Each yard was marked with individuality at the display of various things. Some cottages had small gardens filled with bright flowers, others filled with herbs and vegetables. Draco saw a yard with a tire swing hanging from a large tree and chickens clucking in another. 

As he continued his way down the road, he noticed the number of cottages was getting fewer, the road was narrowing and turning considerably sandier, and the breeze had increased its velocity.

Draco saw spanned in front him a beautiful beach. The small tides from the sea were kissing the sand as it rolled onto it. Heavy rocks jutted from the island into the sea. Draco walked across the beach, staring at the horizon ahead of him. There was not a single cloud or boat or human presence in sight. He headed towards the shadow beneath some rocks that were jutting out in a peculiar position and entered what seemed to be a semi-cave and sat on a rock there, looking out at the sea. 

Some water suddenly seeped through his shoes and Draco saw the waves had managed to reach him. The water felt cool on his toes. He dipped his hands in the water when the next wave came and sat there for a while, greeting each new wave that came in.

* * * * *

Ginny awoke when she felt a hot and itchy sensation on her neck. She reached back to find the source of the unnatural warmth, and to her surprise, she felt something furry and large wrapped around her neck. 

Ginny began to move when she heard it growl angrily. 

" Hermione," she called desperately. " Hermione!" 

There was no answer. 

Ginny reached back again to stroke whatever it was that had managed to clasp itself around her neck while she was sleeping. She felt the soft furs tickle her neck and being extremely ticklish, they tortured her.

Ginny heard the kitchen door open. " Hermione? Is that you?" She heard the footsteps approaching her, but as they drew nearer, she realized they were too heavy to be her friend's. With a sickening realization, he looked up and saw Draco's face sneering at her. 

" It's 11:30. Aren't you going to get up?"

Ginny felt her neck grow even hotter. She hastily checked to see that a blanket was covering the furry thing.

 " No," she lied. She noticed Draco's shoes were glistening from wetness. " Why are your shoes wet?"

Draco's shoes walked away. She heard the chair scrape on the tile and take his weight. " They aren't wet," he lied. His mouth sounded full.

Ginny realized how hungry she was and ached to put breakfast in her mouth. If only this thing would get off her neck! She hoped Draco didn't notice the giant lump in her blanket where her neck was. He would no sooner help her than he'd kiss Voldemort.

" Yes they are," she replied, trying to sound annoying. " Were you at the beach?"

Draco didn't answer, so Ginny assumed that was a yes. She heard him swallow then bite into toast. She reached for the furry thing again and it growled quietly.

" You _were_ at the beach." She knew by Draco's exasperated sigh that she was really provoking him.

" What's it to you Weasley? It's too bad I didn't take you with me so I could drop you in the ocean myself."

" I can swim," she replied tartly. 

Draco speared his sausage. " Not if I tie a stone to you." No sooner had he said it that he realized the absurdity of where this conversation was leading.

Ginny remained quiet until she heard Draco's feet take on his weight once again. After making sure he was far from her up the stairs, she called Hermione's name again. 

Her stomach growled. Actually, she was unsure if it was her stomach or the creature on her neck. Ginny tickled the thing and heard a contented groan. The furs seemed to be inside her skin now, making her neck tingle unbearably. She began to sweat and wished Hermione would walk into the kitchen. Ginny's wand was completely out of reach on the counter. She regretted the fact that she didn't sleep with it by her side and decided she would for now on.

Ginny could hardly stand it anymore. Using careful force, she pried the creature off. Whatever it was began to spit angrily, but Ginny knew she couldn't stand to stay that way any longer. She felt the creature shift heavily and push off her shoulder. A sharp pain on her neck made her wince, for it had scratched her.

She was free at last, and sat up to face a very angry ginger cat. " Crookshanks?" she said aloud in disbelief.

The kitchen door opened at that moment and Hermione walked in with a handful of peaches. 

" Oh, _now_ you come in," said Ginny, lifting herself from the sheets. " What is Crookshanks doing here?"

Hermione set the peaches on the counter and smiled. " I felt him brush up against my leg this morning. He must have come up the hill to find me."

Ginny touched the spot where Crookshanks had scratched her and felt it sting.

" What happened?" Hermione gasped. " Did Crookshanks scratch you?"

She told Hermione the story while she mended herself with her wand. Hermione, she could tell, was stifling a laugh.

Ginny reached for a piece of toast. She warmed it with a small Heating spell and bit into it, savoring the taste. " I'm so hungry," she remarked. 

Hermione laughed. " It's nearly lunchtime."

Ginny sat down and grabbed a sausage. " I'd been awake since Draco came in." She's said this to avoid sounding off-topic for she then asked, " Did you know Draco went to the beach?"

" Oh, is that where he went?" Hermione's back was turned because she was washing the peaches. She noticed the disdain in Ginny's voice. " Why?"

Ginny peeled off the crust of her toast. " He shouldn't have gone."

" Why?" Hermione repeated. She took her wand and began to magically peel the soft pink skin of the fruit.

" He's taking advantage of our island, Hermione. That beach, this beautiful weather, these nice cottages and mountains – they were meant for _us,_ not him! Not Death Eaters!" She finished taking off the last of the crust and dropped it on her crumb-filled plate. " This place is just too beautiful for people like him."

* * * * *

A/N: Wow. I actually wrote this chapter in one sitting from 1:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the morning (hey, when I write, I _write_). My eyes are really puffy as I type this, and I'm on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, but hey, I wrote a new chapter! WAIT! My computer has just warned me that due to Daylight Savings, it's 6:00 in the morning!! * collapses from lack of sleep *  _snooooooooore…_

Thank you: **AdaRen Shadow Angel, Steaming Teapot** _(I'd never kill Hermione, I love her character too much. I'm so flattered by your kind words!),_ **Princess Evil, Kacella** _(death eaters and Italian facists are very different, so don't worry about me copying the book!),_ **Melinda, Rubyjuls1722** _(sorry…),_ **vicsamky, critic, julie**


	4. An Even Darker Side

A/N: I last updated in … April. It's August. I'm so sorry for this terrible lack of updates! I had most of this chapter written, and I just wrote the end now. 

Chapter 4: An Even Darker Side 

The faceless Death Eaters amassed as a group around their Dark Lord one Thursday afternoon. Each was glowing with success, but none more than Voldemort himself.

The Death Eaters had succeeded in permeating the island with their heavy aura of disturbance. Draco listened as his companions, who seemed much more social in the presence of the Dark Lord than ever before, boasted to one another about their ridding the world of another mudblood.

"Now that the muggle-borns have been killed off the island," started the Dark Lord without preamble the minute his minions had taken their place in the tight circle surrounding him, " the island can begin to follow the Dark Order."

A cued flash of lightening would have properly emphasized the gravity of his comment, but the weather was actually perfectly beautiful. Wispy white clouds spread themselves throughout the blue sky, swimming in the current of a soft wind. The Death Eaters had chosen to meet on a bend in the beach where their feet hugged the warm sand beneath them.

Draco could feel his mask sticking to his face. Surely, it was strange to see the Dark Lord in this manner, standing in the middle of a circle with the sun shining down on him. It almost made him seem a little less frightening. Almost.

" I, however, have business elsewhere," Voldemort continued airily, " I will be leaving and believe I won't return for quite some time. In the meantime, I trust that the island will be in good hands, _Richard_." 

" Yes, my Lord," spoke the unctuous voice next to Draco.

" Good. Expect me back sooner than you think if I am notified of any sort of disturbance." His nostrils flared and his red eyes widened threateningly. Draco thought they landed on him questioningly before the Dark Lord himself departed.

For quite some time, Draco had been fearful at the prospect that Voldemort could read minds. He was afraid now, more than ever. He had betrayed him and lied to him, and found it near impossible to look him in the eye anymore without feeling like he was going to die.

_Your mistakes shall not be tolerated next time_, the cold voice echoed throughout the walls of his mind.

The circle broke apart and almost everybody Disapparated. No doubt they were anxious to get out of the blistering heat as soon as possible. Draco did not hesitate to follow.

He appeared in the blink of an eye inside the cool, large lodge located at the bottom of the hill. Upon their arrival, the Death Eaters saw that the house was empty, and made it their little base where they could relax and discuss their killings during the day. 

Draco joined a small group of Death Eaters out on the veranda at the back of the lodge. As he emerged outside, he was greeted not only by his fellow Death Eaters, but by the shimmering sea that stretched before him on the other side of the rail.

" So, Draco," somebody started. 

The voice belonged to Amory Cortez, a Death Eater nearing fifty who was a friend of Lucius. 

As Draco unstuck the white mask from his moist face, Amory asked, " Where are you staying?"

Draco seated himself. " Just up this hill."

" Let me guess," another one piped, already sipping a cold drink he had just conjured, " you've got slow old people who can't even chew without your help, right?"

Amory chuckled before Draco could answer. " Mine can chew, as long as she's got her teeth in!" 

There was a general murmur of assent within the group, to which more laughing ensued, except for Draco. " That's too bad," he said with a smirk. He was about to tell them that his host was actually his age, and that he didn't get stuck with any elderly folk like them, when Amory interrupted again.

" It really is, isn't it now? I could do with some nice young girls on the island, if you know what I mean." He laid back and patted his gut unappealingly. 

" I know what you mean," said Cooper, a Death Eater just about Draco's age with heavy black hair to match his robes. " I haven't seen a single person my age since we came here, let alone a good-looking woman. I'm about to go crazy."

Draco tightened his lips together. No doubt it was not such a good idea anymore to divulge the fact that he was staying with two women almost exactly his age, both already victimized by the seize, and one unmarried. 

" We can get some, you know," said Amory. "Women, I mean."

The rest of the group handed their attention over to the man.

The latter sat up in his chair, his eyes glinting madly. " The Dark Lord will be gone, and he says it'll be a long time before he comes back."

" Weren't you listening, you fool?" Richard Lestranges was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and his cold eyes boring into Amory's. " The Dark Lord said he'd be back right away if he knew about a 'disturbance'."

" He doesn't have to know," Amory retorted defensively. He smiled. " He's gone and he's not as great as he thinks he is. He _won't_ know."

" What do you plan to do?" Young Cooper, looking quite excited was facing Amory and disregarding the reprimanding stare of Richard. 

" Well, we'll have some special ones shipped. I've got connections, you know." 

He could have been talking about cigars for all the difference it made in his tone. Amory was planning to import prostitutes onto the island behind the Dark Lord's back. The danger of that was equivalent to jumping into a shark's mouth in hopes of coming out alive. 

Draco listened, half in disgust, half in curiosity as Amory planned the whole thing. If his plan were successful, a 'shipment' of women would be in by the end of the week.

Richard cleared his throat. " I forbid it, Cortez," he said acidly. An orderly man like Richard rarely got along with promiscuous ones like Amory. " I'll have to curse you if you follow through."

Amory clutched his wand. There was no denying that Richard was a powerful wizard, and over a decade in Azkaban prevented the man from making empty threats and being harmless to those he disliked.

" Come now, Lestranges. Let us take a nice walk along the beach." Amory stood, smiling from ear to ear, and scratched the few gray hair on his balding head. "Just a walk."

Richard saw no other option, and gave in. They walked away together without another word.

* * * * * 

Hermione had taken to knitting to distract herself from her woes. She seated herself next to the window in the study, as Ginny thought it dangerous for her to go outside, and clicked her needles for hours, even long after her fingers had gotten sore.

Ginny left her friend alone, and usually sat at the kitchen table, writing and rewriting letters to Harry. 

The first few weeks that he had been gone, Ginny was able to send post to her beloved boyfriend anytime she wanted. She had written numerous letters with the little lovesick comments: _Harry, I miss you. Every day that you're not here feels like a year to me!_ _I wish you would come home so you can wrap your arms around me…_

They had been, Ginny admitted, quite selfish. Her letters had been sort of panicked and out-of-breath. 

She hadn't heard from Harry even once since he left. Now that the Death Eaters had seized the island, post was forbidden. Draco had told her so the other night in his superior tone when Ginny yelled at him because she had so many letters to send. Ginny had written one to her family, and at least a dozen to Harry. 

Ginny stared out the window and tickled her chin with her quill. She continued to write Harry letters, even though she knew she couldn't send them. It was comforting to her to write her feelings as though Harry would really read them someday. Hopefully, he would when he came home and everything was all right again.

She wrote: _I'm scared for Hermione. Can you believe this situation? Draco Malfoy is the officer we're billeting! I hate him beyond words. Don't worry, he hasn't done anything to me personally. Well, besides invading my home and island. To me, he just epitomizes evil and all that is bad. He makes me sick just to look at him, Harry._

She glanced outside the window. There wasn't a sign of a Death Eater anywhere. Carrier owls were located less than a mile away at Incolumisa's only post office. She could maybe sneak down there now and send an owl.

Just imagining Draco's sneering face made her stand up and gather the papers on the table. She shifted them in her hands as she stepped out of the door and headed for the post office.

There was not a single human being in sight. This was the first time Ginny had gone out onto the streets since the Death Eaters had come. Everything was so unnaturally quiet. It seemed the rest of the villagers were staying in their homes, no doubt fearful of setting foot outside.

The population on the island was not very large to begin with, and Ginny knew that aside from Hermione and herself, everybody was already at an old age. Most people on the island had been put here since Voldemort's first rise to power and had simply not bothered to move out. And as Ginny fixed her gaze on the large mountains standing in front of her, she could definitely understand why. 

Too fixated on her thoughts, Ginny crashed right into something solid.

Her heart beat wildly as she withdrew. Her initial thought had been _Death Eater_.

A scream practically escaped her throat when she saw that she had hit the chest of somebody wearing heavy black robes. She looked up, and didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried at what she saw.

" What are you doing outside?"

Draco was staring down at her in disgust.

" Er ---," Ginny backed away as quickly as possible. " I'm going to the post office."

Draco turned to face the direction she was headed towards. " Don't bother. I told you, you can't send post."

Determination caught up with her. " Like you're going to stop me," she spat, even though she knew he would and he could.

" No, Weasley," Draco said, annoyed. " You _can't_. There aren't any owls left."

Ginny blinked. " You freed them?"

Draco's chin shot up a bit higher. " You could say that," he answered in that condescending tone he saved for Ginny. 

Ginny dug her heel into the dry dirt road. " You people are such ---,"

She never finished her sentence. Instead, she saw Draco's eyes widen as he grabbed her by the shoulders forcefully and as quickly as he could, pulled her to the side of the street. He pushed her in behind a bush. 

" _What are you_ ---," Ginny began to shriek, but before she could comprehend what was happening, Draco's hand covered her mouth.

In the shadows of the bushes, Ginny's back was pressed against Draco's chest. His hand was clasped tightly around her mouth. Breathing hard through her nose, she glanced through the gaps between the leaves and squinted. She saw two men, wearing black robes like Draco's, walking up the street, conversing quietly.

Draco identified them to himself as Amory and Richard, and suddenly remembered their little conversation back at the lodge that led to their walk.

Richard had his eyes set straight ahead. He had a stony expression on his face, and Draco saw him divert his glance ever so often to shoot Amory a cold look.

" Richard, my man. Like I've told you before, the plan won't fail!" Amory waved his arms excitedly.

Richard stopped in his tracks, right where Ginny had bumped into Draco. " You seem to have a listening problem. The Dark Lord has placed me in charge, and I shall make the decisions. Bringing other outsiders onto this island is in no way something he would assent to, and you cannot convince me otherwise."

" But he'll never know!" Amory was getting anxious, and Draco could see, even with the distance between them, that he was starting to sweat more than was necessary.

" Then I will tell him myself, and have you killed," Richard answered coolly. His tone greatly contrasted that of Amory's. " I will be rewarded for it, and you will die. Is that what you want?"

Amory's smile dissolved from his face. Draco could see the sweat beads draining down his now reddened face. Richard resumed his walking, leaving Amory standing very still where he was.

Ginny, who was watching the scene unfold before her with wide-eyed consternation, suddenly became aware that Draco still had her locked in his arms. She tapped in annoyingly with her free hand, and he recoiled right away.

They continued to watch from behind the bushes. Richard continued walking, and when there was nearly 10 feet's distance between him and Amory, they saw the old man's wand go up. 

" _Avada Kedavra_!"  
Ginny and Draco were suddenly engulfed in a mass of blinding green light. Ginny felt her hair whip behind her, and she closed her eyes tightly. She turned her head and pressed it against something behind her. 

The thud of something falling on the ground brought her back to her own state of mind. She withdrew her face from what had been Draco's shoulder and turned back to the street. Through the gaps of the bush, she saw the old man run up to the one lying facedown on the ground.

Amory knelt beside the body and stared with wide eyes at what he'd done. He hesitated slightly, before turning him over.

A small cry escaped Ginny's lips, in spite of herself, causing Draco's hand to shoot back up to her mouth. Ginny wished he'd covered her eyes too.

Merely a few feet away, she saw Richard Lestranges lying flat on the dusty road. His mouth was parted slightly open, and his black, expressionless eyes stared up at the pale sky, as though he were seeing it but not looking at it. 

Amory unnecessarily dusted off the black robes Richard was wearing. Ginny saw the dust from the road clinging to his hair and stuck around his open mouth. Amory slid his hands beneath the corpse and lifted Richard onto his shoulder. His knees seemed to nearly buckle from the weight.

Ginny and Draco watched as Amory carried him down the road and soon disappeared. 

Draco released his hand for the second time. Ginny, feeling incredibly unstable emerged from their hiding place. She couldn't take her eyes off of the dusty road where only moments ago, she had seen somebody killed. 

Draco followed and she felt sick just to look at him. _He's was just one of them_, she thought. _He does that sort of thing too_.

Without thinking, she ran down the dusty road, opposite the direction Amory had gone, leaving Draco standing in the middle of the road.

Draco looked to his right, where he and Ginny had seen the Death Eaters disappear. There was no way he was about to follow them. If Amory ever found out Draco had witnessed what he did, he would most likely he killed as well.

On his left was quite a different fate, but in Draco's opinion, it wasn't much better than death. He could go back to the cottage and face a very angry Ginny. This was inevitable, for Draco would not have food or a place to sleep otherwise.

Slowly, he headed in the direction of the cottage. His black robes absorbed the sun and seemed to get heavier with every step.

Draco tried to rub the horrible memory of what he'd just witnessed out of his mind. Amory Cortez, a man he'd known since his childhood, had _killed_ another man he had also known since that same time. Draco could still see the expression of Amory's face, the way his sweat trickled down his red face. He'd taken another man's life for the simple and stupid reason that he wanted to bring women onto the island. 

While pondering Amory's viewpoint on the true worth of life, the cottage came into view.

Draco entered into the cool kitchen, but neither Ginny nor Hermione were in sight. He didn't know what to do from there, so he rushed up the stairs to Ginny's bedroom.

He shut the door and locked it with a spell. He lay flat on the bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling, feeling numb and apathetic. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, a distinct smell of the ocean mixed with peaches and flowers washing over him. _The window must be open_, he thought.

_Thud_.

Draco opened one eye and peered over to the window.

" Get out." Ginny's voice was stable at the moment, but Draco was sure she would explode any moment. The light from the window behind her contrasted the dark gloomy expression etched on her freckly face. " This is _my_ bedroom. Out."

Draco scrambled out of bed as orderly as he could, then straightened his robes. " Weasley, I've told you before. I can't. Alright? Accept it."

Ginny didn't even blink. She stood with her arms at her sides and glared at Draco. She was a Gryffindor. She was going to get Draco out of her house or die trying.

She slowly withdrew her wand from her back pocket – she had grabbed it from the kitchen counter on her way in. Draco saw the point of it rise upwards and direct itself straight at his cold, stony heart.

Draco narrowed his eyes, not doubting for one second that Ginny would kill him. He reached for his wand up his sleeve – 

" _Expelliarmus_!"

Ginny ducked sideways and fell on her right hip. A thick beam of light flew into the window behind her, and she heard the sound of the glass breaking abruptly and sprinkling onto her front lawn like sharp snow.

When she braved a glance toward Draco, she found he was not there. In his absence was a large hole in her bedroom wall.

Disheveled, she pulled herself up and saw Draco do the same. The sight of him … breathing. It bothered her. She aimed her wand once again.

" Stop."

Hermione was standing at the bedroom door, her knitting supplies clutched in her hand. Despite the broken window she was facing, her eyes were directly on Draco. " Downstairs. Go."

Wordlessly and without much hesitation, he obeyed and left the room swiftly, clutching his wand in his hand.

Hermione shut the door, her chocolate eyes now on Ginny in a calculating manner. 

" Ginny. I've told you – you can't do that no matter what," said Hermione shaking her head. 

Feeling shameful, Ginny pocketed her wand. She pushed her lips together and let out a sigh.

" I owe him my baby's life. He saved us, Ginny. All three of us."

Ginny found herself caught in a web of feelings. She hated Malfoy with everything she had, but she had to feel something else for him for saving Hermione. She suddenly found she couldn't even express her apology to Hermione for acting so irrationally, but Hermione seemed to understand. 

" Please, Ginny. Just … control yourself."

Hermione took her by the shoulder and led her downstairs, where, thankfully, Draco was not in sight. 

* * * * *


	5. Snails and Sinister Affections

A/N: Thanks to: **VirtualFaerie** (_I'm so sorry about the name thing! Really, I am! I chose the name very randomly – so please forgive me. I cannot believe this story would remind you in any way of Hemingway, and I'm confused but incredibly flattered because he happens to be, in my opinion, one of the greatest writers who ever lived. I've never read 'AFTA', but I will!_) , **hpangel**, **cherries**, **jhlseaz** (_Your first review made me laugh … a lot. Yes, Draco is dim! And so is Lord Voldemort!_), **Ewok**, **NiMiBabe**, **m.white**, **Demented Fairy** (_Actually, in my honest opinion, the movie blew. If anything, it's the book that is worth your time._), **Diana **(I'm _so sorry for the delay … so happy to hear you like my story!_), **DmalfoysMistress **(_I highly recommend the book. I'm glad you're considering reading it!)_, **stormyfire**, **AdaRen **(_*laughs* … there's a name I'm familiar with! Thanks for putting me on your favorites list – I truly appreciate that), _**NeoSeredipity**

Chapter 5: Snails and Sinister Affections 

The Minister of Magic was in disarray.

How? How had the Death Eaters discovered Incolumisa?

Cornelius Fudge hastily climbed the winding staircase that would lead to Dumbledore's office. He burst through the oak doors, making a dramatic entrance with his purple cloak billowing behind him and what was left of his wispy hair dancing atop his head. 

Dumbledore was hardly startled. He was unsmiling, and seemed to look a good deal more sage and ancient than he had the last time Fudge saw him.

" D-Dumbledore!" Fudge cried. " Have you received my owls?"

" Yes," the headmaster replied, standing from his chair. " All seventeen of them."

Fudge twisted the bowler hat in his hands, rotating its rim and bending it with his pudgy fingers. " How did he find out?"

Dumbledore shook his head. " Cornelius. The question is _not_ how he found out. The island has been discovered. It is too late and unnecessary to ponder such a thing." 

Fawkes, perched upon his stand, let out a quavering note, to which Fudge reacted with a heavy sigh. " What – what do we do now?" he asked dubiously.

Dumbledore pursed his lips together. " We must figure out how to make the island safe again."

Fudge stopped twisting his bowler hat. He faced Dumbledore, shooting him a nervous expression. " Come, Dumbledore! You-Know-Who has probably killed its inhabitants by now!" Fudge's voice was unsteady, and rang out nervously into the tense air.

The headmaster shook his head again. " We mustn't make such presumptions," he said sharply. " We must take action as quickly as we can."

* * * * *

Not at all desiring to even approach close to the general vicinity of Ginny Weasley, Draco spent the night at the Death Eaters' lodge – the modest and empty one they had taken at the bottom of the hill. 

He awoke from the large sofa the next morning, and heard the hung-over groans of the older Death Eaters from the outside deck and kitchen area. Many of them had taken to gathering here to stay up late into the night with their whisky and mulled mead, playing games and falling asleep in their drunken state. Draco hated the terrible din he had to sleep through the previous night, but he had thought about the alternative, and preferred to stay at the lodge than go back up the hill and suffer the wrath of Ginny's terrible temper.

Draco kicked off his covers, straightened his hair, and passed the kitchen without glancing inside.

As he walked around the unfamiliar lodge, looking for the bathroom, he couldn't help noticing the atmosphere of the house. He sensed a hint of something – a bit of a feeling that had taken up the house prior to the Death Eaters' invasion. The walls were unadorned, but within them was a spirit that had not left. He saw a vase of nearly wilting flowers on the table in the dining room, and a cupboard filled with very simple china. Nothing was elaborate, or strikingly beautiful, but each item of the household held its own simple charm, as though everything held certain significance. He headed towards the staircase, and passed a fairly large bookshelf. This part of the house seemed uninhibited by any Death Eaters. Draco stopped and let his still tired eyes roam over the titles of each book spine. The shelf was possibly the largest item he'd seen in the house, and every inch of it was filled. He didn't stop there for long, and continued up the carpeted steps.

He reached the upstairs landing, still searching for a bathroom. He opened to first door on his right, caught a quick glance inside, and immediately shut the door with a snap.

He let out a long breath.

It wasn't the bathroom.

In fact, Draco had seen something he had not wanted to see. Trying to forget, he stepped away from the door. Try as he did, he simply could not erase the image of that room.

The walls had been half-colored, as though somebody had stopped painting the soft sky-blue color and left abruptly. The walls were, like the rest of the house, devoid of any personal photographs. Draco shook his head. The thing that had been most disturbing to see was the small empty baby crib placed in the middle of the room. Where had the baby gone? Had the Death Eaters –

Draco let out another long breath. If there really had been a baby in it at one time, he didn't want to even imagine where it had gone. The others had told Draco the lodge had been empty when they moved in. But how was he to believe people who lied and deceived for a living? 

He spun around on the landing and went through another door. This one was a bigger bedroom, and this time, Draco was not greeted by a baby crib, but by a large, neatly made bed. It was obvious the Death Eaters had avoided this part of the house. Nothing seemed to have been soiled. Perhaps the others had neglected coming here as Draco had because of a bedroom's personal nature. For once, Draco was realizing that the lodge had been somebody else's _home_, and that a whole different and seemingly undisturbed life had been living here prior to them.

Draco walked forward into the bedroom, and spotted a door next to the wardrobe leading to a small bathroom. He hurriedly approached it, trying to ignore his surroundings – the bed, the small lampshades on the polished wooden nightstands, and the candles on the windowsill.

He passed the dresser and his eye caught something small and moving. He turned, looked, and immediately wished he had not.

There it was in front of him – like a grisly neon sign. Only it was a small photograph. Waving right at him was a couple, both red in the face and grinning. By their attire, it was obviously their wedding day. The sun behind then glinted merrily, its rays reaching out at the happy newly-weds.

Draco was sickened by the cheerfulness of it, and the shock it gave him. He fled from the room as fast as he could, trying as much as he could to erase Ron and Hermione's happy faces from his memory.

* * * * *

" He makes me _so mad_! I mean, of _all _Death Eaters, why did we get stuck with this arrogant, self-loving, idiotic - ,"

_Meow_.

Crookshanks lay on the coffee table in front of the sofa, befuddled by Ginny, who for the last ten minutes had been complaining about Draco – to a cat.

" He's driving me nuts. Before _him_, when Harry was around, I was perfectly fine! And now look at me! I'm – I'm –,"

" – talking to a cat?"

Hermione was leaning on the doorframe of the office, where she had been sleeping every night. She rubbed her eyes and half smiled at Ginny, who turned scarlet

" Ginny, I've told you before and I hate to say it again but – there's nothing we can do."

Ginny sat back on the sofa. " I know. I was complaining to Crookshanks because I knew she couldn't tell me that."

Hermione patted her friend on the head and went into the kitchen area. She then stopped in at the stove and frowned.

" We have no food."

Ginny turned towards her friend. " What?"

" No food," said Hermione, absently. She frowned even more deeply. " I mean, usually, the market is open … but …"

Ginny stood from the sofa. " What are we gonna do?" She thought of Draco and suddenly wished to see him – so she could give him a good hard punch in the face. The Death Eaters had ruined the peace, committed murder, created havoc, and taken away the food.

" It's alright for now, I reckon," said Hermione slowly. " We still have the peach tree. We'll just – eat from there. I'll go get some …"

"No." Ginny stepped over the back of the sofa and ran to the door, obstructing Hermione's way. " You aren't going outside, Hermione." Ginny glanced out the window and looked out onto their front yard. " In fact, I think you should stay away from the windows too."

Hermione said nothing, so Ginny took it as acceptance. "Lock the door," she added quickly. Without grabbing her shoes, she stepped outside barefoot and approached the tree.

It had been a while since she picked the peaches. Most of them usually hung rather low on the branches, but because they had recently been eating them more excessively, she found none ripe enough that were within reach from where she stood.

Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked up higher in the branches and spotted many towards the top.

Without a second thought, Ginny stepped up and placed her toe in a large knot on the tree. It had really been years since she last climbed one – back at the Burrow where she had raced her brothers to the top. Nostalgia began to creep up on her as she slowly climbed to grab a thick branch, and she recalled these times as though they were yesterday. Ron's excited shouts permeated her memory, and she was suddenly reminded of how she'd never reached the top as fast as her brothers had, and remembered reaching out to grab their hands from the top branches, and waiting to be pulled up and join them. 

As she neared the top, no tanned freckly hands reached down to help her. She simply grasped the nearest branch for support, digging her nails painfully into the hard bark in an effort to not fall to the ground.

Draco had run from the lodge quickly, and headed up the hill, knowing an encounter with Ginny was inevitable anyway. He refused to let her get to him. He certainly didn't want Ginny to think he was afraid of her. Draco refused to give the girl such satisfaction – for he most definitely was _not_ afraid of her in any way.

He was almost startled to look up and see a pale leg dangling from peach tree – and he could only surmise who that leg belonged to and what it was doing up there.

Draco quietly approached the tree, close enough to see and hear her, but far enough to escape from her easily. He watched silently as Ginny hoisted herself from one branch to the next. He almost caught himself enjoying watching her struggle.

Ginny was not in the shadows of the tree, protected by leaves that moved in the slight breeze, fanning her gently. She reached for the first ripe peach she saw, picked it, and dropped it to the ground – or rather threw it.

It narrowly missed Draco's head, and he tilted sideways as it flew at him and hit the ground with much force. He wanted to tell her she would ruin them that way, but he dared not speak in case she were to fall when she spotted him, or deliberately throw some peaches at him.

He watched as she picked more and let them fall to the grass, denting their delicate shapes. 

Draco saw in the corner of his eye a figure coming down from the other side of the hill. He was obviously a Death Eater, but certainly didn't look the part. His robes were tattered at the hem, as though he'd stepped on them one too many times. Dust was specked all over his robes, his hair, and his face.

Though almost unrecognizable in his state, Draco squinted in the sun and saw it was Amory Cortez – the man Draco had seen kill Richard. 

A sharp cry above him interrupted Draco, and he looked up abruptly to see something much larger than a peach falling from the high branch. 

Out of reflex, he reached out and Ginny fell into his arms briefly, before he toppled backward from the impact and they fell to the ground together.

Draco landed hard on his back, and felt Ginny roll onto his stomach. He groaned as he felt her try to push herself up by pressing on his body.

" Wha –,"

Ginny rolled over again and sat up, feeling dazed looking around then spotting Draco.

He coughed loudly, gasping for the air that had been knocked out of him, and sat up as well.

" You –," Ginny started. She was breathing hard. " What are you _doing_?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. " What the hell do you mean? I just saved your life and you ask me what I'm _doing_? Geez, Weasley."

Ginny pursed her lips together and glared. " Don't be so proud. You didn't –,"

But suddenly, Draco let out a soft curse. He watched as Amory drew nearer, and although he seemed preoccupied, there was no doubt a young girl with bright red hair would catch his attention. Draco grabbed Ginny by the arm hastily and pulled her up.

" Ow!" she screeched. " Now what are you doing?"

" Shut up!"

He pulled her with all his force towards the door of the cottage. " Go! Open the door!" he hissed hurriedly, turning around to see Amory coming closer.

" I – I can't." Ginny rattled the knob, stunned by Draco's sudden haste. " Locked."

Draco let out a soft grunt of frustration. " Alright, come on then. Go back up the tree."

" What? _Why_?"

Draco took out his wand from his pocket, and muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Ginny's feet left the ground. She opened her mouth but no words came out as she levitated upwards back into the hidden depths of the treetop.

Not wanting to face Amory, Draco made his way up the trunk as well. No charm could make a wizard leave the ground himself, but Draco was rather capable of tree-climbing. He stuck the tip of his foot into a knot and hoisted himself. Being taller than Ginny, he grabbed the lowest branch easily and brought himself up. 

" What is this about?" Ginny hissed from above Draco. He reached up to the branch she was sitting on and lifted himself to sit beside her.

He pointed down below, and Ginny followed his gaze to the street, where Amory was slowly coming closer and closer. Had the two of them still been on the ground, he would have spotted them. But hidden within the depths of the peach tree, and being on a higher eye level, Amory's eyes avoided them easily. He trudged onward, and passed their cottage, his heavy feet scuffing the dirt on the road as he walked. 

Draco turned back to Ginny, and he saw a look of revulsion on her face he'd hardly seen before. Her eyes were narrowed at Amory, and he saw her quietly dig her nails into the branch she was sitting on.

" I'm not like him," Draco blurted out before he could even stop himself.

He'd surprised himself by saying so. Ginny's gaze left Amory and turned towards Draco. She seemed to be concentrating hard, as though she was studying his face and looking at him for the first time. 

" Prove it," she said quietly – almost in a whisper. Her eyes were still narrowed.

Something boiled within Draco. " You think if he was in my place he would've spared Granger?"

Ginny felt her breath catch in her chest. She recalled that day again – when she stood in her own kitchen, terrified of the figure hidden behind the expressionless white mask. It hadn't mattered to her whether the person behind it was a robber, a killer, or somebody's grandmother.

" You're all the same to me," she told him acidly,  " and you always will be."

Draco blinked. Wordlessly, he climbed down onto a lower branch, then jumped down to the ground. 

Ginny quickly followed, and fell seconds later. She watched as he started up the road where they had seen Amory come from and walked alone, facing the large mountains in the distance and heading towards them without a glance backwards.

* * * * *

Draco did not return until the blue sky had taken on an orange hue. A pink tinge spread across the horizon, beautifying a deadly atmosphere.

Inside the cottage, Hermione continued to work on her blanket – now at a furious rate – while Ginny sat at the kitchen table, deep in thought. 

The front door opened and Draco walked in, looking rather apathetic. He avoided Ginny, who in turn dared not glance at him.

Hermione set down her needles. " We have no food," she told him blatantly. Her voice was steady and strong.

Draco simply raised an eyebrow at her. " So?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. " So we're going to get some."

Ginny snapped out of her trance-like state and looked at Hermione quizzically. " What? How?"

Hermione did not answer. " Go get your shoes," she said firmly, " and a bucket and fishing net."

Questionably, Ginny did as she was told. Draco removed his cloak and let it fall onto a kitchen chair. He then pulled it out and sat down.

" You're coming with us," said Hermione, glaring pointedly at Draco. " It's _your_ fault we haven't got a bite to eat."

" You can't make me," he replied, sneering.

Hermione pulled out her wand from behind her back. With a quick _Accio, she had Draco's wand in her other hand. " Yes I can."_

Moments later, Hermione was leading the way up the street as Ginny and Draco followed. 

Ginny, who was holding the fishing net and bucket in her hands, shouted, " Slow down, Hermione!"

Hermione was moving very quickly towards the end of the street. They continued down a curb on the hillside and nearer to the foot of the mountains, where water from the top was trickling down smoothly and forming a small river.

The sky was slowly growing darker, making it harder to see. The lack of light was giving everything around them a dark blue hue, and the mountains towering over them were starting to become massive silhouettes against the darkening sky. 

Ginny heard the water flow get faster as Hermione led them along the side of the river. Suddenly, she said, " Give me the net, please."

Ginny obliged and handed it to her wordlessly. She cast a glance toward Draco beside her, who looked back and her and frowned slightly. 

They watched silently as Hermione approached the side of the river. She reached out into the water with the net and stayed this way – very still. 

Suddenly, there was a splashing sound in the water. " Gotcha!" Hermione exclaimed. She withdrew the net from the water and inside it was a very tiny fish about the size of Ginny's palm, jumping around and fighting for breath.

Draco scoffed. " That'll hardly feed one person."

Hermione ignored him and dropped the fish into the bucket that had been set beside her. " I'll be at this for a while, I suppose." She looked up at Draco with a sinister expression. " You two should go collect something else to eat."

" Like what?" Draco asked, looking rather unpleasant. His wand was still in Hermione's pocket. 

" I dunno. Berries. Herbs. Snails … whatever's around."

Ginny almost gagged at the thought of eating snails. Draco seemed rather horrified as well, but neither said anything, knowing Hermione was not in her best mood at this moment. Hunger affects pregnant women much more strongly than regular people …

Draco turned with Ginny and they headed away from the river where Hermione was still fishing. 

" Well, I reckon the berries and herbs would be around here," Ginny said, indicating the large bushes in front of her. " And the snails would be … I guess beneath them."

" I'm not eating snails," said Draco in disgust.

Ginny rolled her eyes in the dark. " I'm not fond of them either," she retorted firmly, " but we might not have much choice. A lot of these berries are poisonous." She pointed out the small red ones. " You can't eat _these_."

Ginny went down on all fours and crawled between the bushes, searching for some hidden edible berries within them. Draco went around to a bush nearby and mimicked her without enthusiasm. 

The sky was growing increasingly darker and neither of them had a wand with them. It was starting to get harder to see the berries. Luckily, the moon was not hidden by clouds that night, and illuminated against the river, making that general area a bit brighter. Ginny could see Draco a little ahead of her, pulling berries out of the tiny crevices within the bush leaves. He looked completely wrong down on all fours and crawling through the thick bushes – and she smiled slightly, finally being able to catch him when he wasn't so complacent and dignified.

The process was rather slow, and ten silent minutes passed and both had only collected a total of eight berries – five for Ginny, three for Draco. 

" It looks like we'll be eating snails tonight," said Ginny with a heavy sigh. She looked up at Draco to see the side of his mouth twitch. She let out a small chuckle and looked down at the very few berries in her hand.

" I've spotted more snails than berries," Draco stated, frowning. " See, look. There goes one now."

Ginny looked up to see one inching along. Her stomach growled softly, and suddenly, even that slimy little creature seemed edible. Her hunger was certainly starting to hinder her senses. 

She began to crawl towards it when – 

" _Ow_."

She felt something snag her hair and tug at her roots.

Draco glanced towards her.

Ginny reached up her free hand, and felt her elbow scratch against sharp branches at her side. In the semi-darkness, it was difficult to see around her, and she was unsure how to lift her arm in her tight spot. 

" Just crawl forward and pull your head away," said Draco lazily, a hint of agitation in his voice.

" Right, and just rip the hair out of my head, right?" His presence was certainly not helping her situation and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but where she was now. " Can you help me?"

Saying the latter took much strength and teeth gritting. 

Draco did not move right away. " Why should I?" he asked as coldly as he could. " Would you help _me_ if that happened?"

" Yes," Ginny lied.

Draco scoffed. " Maybe I'll just leave you here like this. Serves you right."

Ginny grew angrier. " Serves _me_ right? I'm just an innocent victim! If it wasn't for _you_, I'd be living perfectly fine in my cottage! Alone!"

_Alone_. Without Harry. She could hardly imagine what he'd say if he saw her bickering with Draco like this. 

Draco did not retort. He spoke again, but this time he was quieter and more serious. " I'll help you, Weasley. But you have to tell me first that we're not all the same."

This time, Ginny scoffed. She recalled their conversation from that morning in the peach tree. " I won't tell a lie," she stated stubbornly. 

" So … I'll just leave you here then?" She saw Draco start to back out of the bushes.

" See? There!" Ginny exclaimed, " You _are _all the same. Any stupid Death Eater would just leave me like this! So stop trying to tell me _you're_ any different!"

Ginny looked up to see Draco glaring at her with a particularly vindictive expression on his face, making her feel almost sure he would hurt her.

He didn't. Instead, he spoke again. " You think everybody's either good or evil, don't you? Well you know how we found out about this island? Snape told us. You know, your former Potions teacher. He's a spy for us."

Ginny opened her mouth but nothing came out. She could feel her hands pressing against the earth and her shoulder beginning to hurt. 

She knew Snape was a spy. Harry had once told her so. And she had since then assumed he was a spy for _their_ side, not the Dark side. Snape had benefited Dumbledore greatly. He had aided them in as many ways possible – but it turns out he'd been doing the same for the other side …

" Alright," she said, feeling partially defeated. " You're – not …"__

Hesitantly, Draco crawled forward. " Not what?"

She sensed him draw nearer and grew slightly nervous. 

" Not – all the same."

"You'd better mean that Weasley."

Ginny swallowed hard. He was very close now. Being in the dark and entrapped in such a confined place made it difficult to trust Draco.

" You know what? I don't," she stated bravely.

Draco stopped moving and glared at her – his face no more than three inches away from hers.

" Like I've said before …" Her vocals seemed to catch in her throat and she spoke very quietly – almost a whisper, "_prove it_."

She didn't even see him move forward. The tip of her nose suddenly caressed his shoulder and she felt the soft fabric of his shirt on her face as he reached up to entangle her hair.

She found herself feeling tense and considerably uncomfortable.

He was moving his fingers diligently, and she felt his arm moving above her, trying to extricate her hair from the branch. She squirmed, now feeling slightly uneasy. "Stay still," he demanded quietly.

Ginny saw another snail inch along about a foot away. She waited patiently, and began to feel her hair loosen.

Draco removed the strands from the branch slowly, all the while squinting to see. Leave it to this girl to do something so clumsy, he thought annoyingly. But something in him had to admit he preferred her to be this way. At least she was acting civilized. He found on the rare occasions she wasn't stomping her foot and screaming at him, she was a normal girl who was just trying to resist what she's been brought up to fight. Very much like himself … 

Ginny's hair came loose completely, but Draco could not get away fast enough. He crawled backward slowly, feeling his hands partially sink into the cold earth beneath his palms. Ginny stayed where she was.

" That doesn't prove anything," she found herself saying, more to herself than to him. But as she crawled onward to get herself out of the bushes, she knew _that_ was not true – that the simple gestures of pulling her hair out of a branch and even levitating her into a peach tree were just two of the many things that made Draco Malfoy different from the other Death Eaters. 

* * * * *


	6. The First Rainfall

Thank you: 

**m.white**,** DMalfoysMistress** (_You got the book! That is so great! I'm glad you like both the story and my fic so far. *Grins*_), **Archer** (_I hope you can somehow get your hands on the book, because I highly recommend it. Yes, a movie has been made. Don't watch it without a barf bag_), **Nupil**, **NiMiBabe**, **ArrA**, **Majestyic**, **stormyfire**,** babooshka**,** hpangel**,**Manissetan **(_The book is called 'Corelli's Mandolin' by Louis DeBernieres. I definitely recommend it). _**Lady-Nimoe**, **draicana**,** Lara**,** Draco-lover**, **depth**,** organyaelf**,** Alex Mueller **(_'wet dreams' … oh, that made me laugh! Thanks!_), **Demonstar**, **BexChick05**,** Nicole, diana, Derae Johnstone, Minerva, JoyNspirit, Jill Sundby**

Chapter 6: The First Rainfall

They arrived the next morning.

Disgustedly, Draco watched the small boat tip precariously on the exuberant waves of the sea before it docked itself onto the sandy shore of the beach.

He remained wordless from the moment the first visitor's foot touched the sand on the island, to the time he and his fellow Death Eaters accompanied the group of women up to Ron and Hermione's lodge at the bottom of the hill.

Amory had kept his word, and because of this, the other Death Eaters had been so ignorantly distracted that they had neglected to even ask Amory why Richard Lestranges had never returned from that walk.

But Draco knew. He studied the women  – and had no trouble noticing the tension and nerves that emitted from their high-pitched laughter.

" Amory, my man!" he heard somebody's voice boom. Draco turned to see Amory a few feet away being embraced like a brother by another Death Eater he recognized as another old friend of his Lucius'. " Where did you find such beautiful creatures?" Draco heard this man ask Amory in a congratulatory way.

Draco screwed up his face to fight his disgust. This man just so happened to have a wife and three daughters back in England. He felt as though he was suddenly very far away from the others, and was watching the scene of prostitutes and Death Eaters mingle with each other flicker before him rather than being an actual part of it.

Draco also felt uneasy being in the lodge, because ever since he'd discovered the place had once belonged to Ron and Hermione, he'd felt nauseous to step inside. He could almost feel their presence taking up every room, and the vision of the baby crib that was supposed to someday hold the child growing inside Hermione refused to leave his brain.

He had not wanted to come to the lodge to begin with, but his father had insisted he do so. Lucius had been noticing the way his son kept his distance and often refused to be a part of the group – and he knew Draco should retain his position as a prominent figure within the group for the good of his future.

Draco followed the other Death Eaters back to the lodge wordlessly, concentrating on the ground beneath his feet. He would never speak to them, he thought. He would never associate himself with any of these women.

* * * * * 

The first rainfall of Incolumisa occurred the following day. Ginny watched from her cottage window as large droplets splattered the window and fell from the silver sky to replenish the thirsty grass on her lawn.

From the kitchen, the sounds of two needles clicking from the study could be heard, corresponding with tip-tap of the rain hitting the cottage roof.

Ginny found herself liking the rain that day. Perhaps it was more fitting in their tense atmosphere. The previous night, when the three of them had come back from the river, they'd eaten without much to say. Draco had proceeded up the stairs, and neither girl had seen him since.

The morning was passing slowly, and Ginny felt lazy. She considered writing another letter to Harry, but after days and days of doing so and piling her unsent affections on her desk, she's grown tired and hopeless. Although much time had passed since the Death Eaters had come, any rescue attempts were unheard of.

Hermione entered the kitchen. She looked bothered and preoccupied.

" What's up?" Ginny asked, turning her attention away from the rain-covered windowpane to her friend. 

Hermione frowned. " Well, I'm upset because I seem to have a finished darning all of my yarn, but the quilt is much too small to be finished. And I just realized I have more yarn at home." She seated herself beside Ginny at the table. " I've put all my knitting supplies in the nursery …" 

Ginny looked down at the table, trying to suppress her sadness at the thought of the nursery Hermione and Ron had created for the baby. She distinctly remembered helping Ron paint the crib, only to have the paint spill all over her brand new sweater. They'd laughed and argued and drank sour lemonade … it pained Ginny to think about that day.

" I suppose I could simply make socks out of them instead." Hermione said, snapping Ginny back to the present.

" Oh, Hermione … I'm sorry."

Hermione shrugged. " Well, for now, I don't have knitting to keep me busy anymore. I suppose I should find something else to do." She stood and headed back to the office, but stopped short halfway there.

" What?" Ginny asked.

Hermione let out a sigh. " I was just thinking … if only I had my copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ to read right now."

The remainder of the day dragged on. Rain continued to drum its fingers gently on the cottage rooftop. Ginny had moved from the kitchen table to the sofa and was reading a month-old issue of _Witch Weekly_.

Hermione, however, seemed restless. Ginny offered various books of hers, yet Hermione either declined, or began to read it but put it down right away. Having been cooped up in the study for so many days with her needles, it seemed Hermione was unfamiliar with any other task, besides eating, which Ginny noticed she was getting quite good at.

Ginny tried to concentrate on the words of the magazine but all she saw was Hermione in the corner of her eye, sitting in the chair beside the sofa, doing nothing but fiddling her fingers, the very fingers now devoid of knitting needles.

As much as she tried to ignore it, Hermione fingers refused to stop. Finally, Ginny set down her magazine. " Hermione, why don't you go take a nap or something? I'll bet you're pretty tired."

Hermione continued to fiddle her fingers. She looked at Ginny curiously. " Alright, alright. I'm sorry I'm being a bother," she said, and stood up and headed for the study. She let out a sigh then disappeared behind the door.

Ginny was about the pick up her magazine, but desisted. Instead she arose from the sofa.

She grabbed her red cloak from closet by the door and her wand from the kitchen counter, and then stepped outside, shutting and locking the door firmly. She walked up the pathway, and veiled her head with the hood of her cloak. Raindrops bit her cloak and her face as she quickly made her way down the hill towards Hermione's lodge.

By the time she reached it, her cloak was splattered and her shoes muddy. From the outside, the lodge seemed as deathly quiet as every other house on the street. She walked up the slimy walkway, careful not to slip, and approached the door.

" _Alohamora_." The door clicked open and Ginny pushed past it into the dry front hall. She unveiled her hood and shut the door behind her with a light thud. Then she looked around.

There was something different about the house, and suddenly, Ginny felt a pinch of fear within her. She looked around, noticing certain items were missing. It seemed the house had been stripped of its character and warmth.

Knitting needles … upstairs, she told herself. She approached the staircase and began climbing up, noticing the absence of photographs on the walls.

" Hey, why are you wet?"

Ginny screamed. She turned around to face a man she'd never seen before in her life, looking her way. Bewildered, she opened her mouth but said nothing.

" You okay?" he asked, stepping forward. Ginny noticed there was very little consideration in his voice. In fact, his tone was rather greasy. His eyes were dark and shallow rather than warm. There was slight stubble adorning his chin. " You wanna come with me, dear?"

Ginny plunged her hand into her sleeve to grab her wand when she heard a second voice behind the man. " Hey Devan! Devan, c'mere! We're on the radio." The voice sounded slurred, as though drunk. Ginny shifted her eyes quickly to the liquor cabinet by the foot of the stairs, noting it had indeed been emptied. 

The man who had approached Ginny gave her a wink, to which she grimaced at. He leaned against the doorframe.

" Turn it up!" he told them. He didn't seem to want to let Ginny slip away.

Somebody in the kitchen obliged. The radio volume was put up so high that Ginny heard it clearly from where she was. It was the WWN news being broadcast.

"_ The whereabouts of the Dark Lord's supporters, known as 'Death Eaters', remain unknown to the public. Inquiries from the Ministry suggest they plan to strike when the wizarding community least expects it._"

The announcement was followed by a multitude of derisive laughter. Devan laughed as well, leaning forward towards the kitchen to say something to his fellow Death Eaters. Ginny took his preoccupation as an opportunity to run up the stairs. Clearly, there were more than two men – Death Eaters – in that room. Hardly thinking, fear clenching her insides, she opened the first door on her right – the nursery.

She opened the door and was greeted by another person in black robes. She felt her heart jump up into her throat as the figure turn around at the sound of the door opening

Never had Ginny been so relieved, or even remotely happy for that matter, to see Draco Malfoy. She shut the door quickly.

" What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time.

Ginny held up your hand, suddenly angry. " First of all, _what_ are you Death Eaters doing _here_? In _this _home?"  
Draco's feet did not move from his position. He had been standing next to the crib and there was a book in his hand.

" It was deserted when they found it. So they took it."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something but he quickly interrupted, " I know whose lodge it is."

She let out a short, nervous exhale and looked at Draco carefully, suddenly at a loss for words.

" What are _you_ doing here, then?" he asked her. His facial features suddenly grew taut. " Did anyone see you come in?" He turned his body to face her and Ginny saw beneath his open black robes was a regular black shirt and slacks.

Ginny slipped her hand into sleeves to touch her wand for reassurance, then spoke up. " I came to fetch something. But, gee, I didn't think the place would be swarming with Death Eaters," she told him, partly sarcastic, mostly angry. She began to move the wand and slide it between her fingers. " And yes, someone saw me by the door. But I think he was so drunk he didn't even seem surprised to see me."

Draco turned away and let out a curse beneath his breath. " Cry 'sakes, Weasley, he thought you were a prostitute!"

" _Wha - _!" Ginny twisted her face in fury, then quickly glanced down at her clothes. She was completely covered from neck to toes. " _What!?_"

Draco hadn't meant to reveal that fact. He diverted the subject. " What the hell do you mean 'fetch something'? These people are capable of killing you, Weasley. You're and idiot to have left your home."

" Oh, isn't that nice," she remarked sarcastically, her temper beginning to rise. She withdrew her wand from her sleeve gripped it beneath her cloak. " First you call me a prostitute, and now I'm an idiot … you know, you really do have a way with people."

" Weasley, keep your voice down. You don't know what these people can do to you." He seemed calmer than her, more irritated.

" I am _not_ afraid of you stupid Death Eaters," she lied defiantly. She wanted to look Draco straight in the eyes, but she found she couldn't. " And _why_ in the world would anybody think I'm a – prostitute? What a terrible thing to say! You know you should –,"

" Hey, their thinking that just saved your life." He set his book down on the dresser and leaned against it. " You're not the only woman in this house."

There was silence as this information sunk into Ginny and the realization dawned on her: their lodge was harboring prostitutes.

She then looked up at Draco who was looking back intently. She'd found Draco alone … in a secluded room. Surely he couldn't have been reading a book for real? If there were women walking around the house giving pleasure to the men who needed it, surely that included Draco? 

" You people disgust me," she said quietly. " Especially you, Malfoy."

" Stop while you're ahead. If you weren't so stubborn you'd actually get it through your skull that  we're not all the same. Those Death Eaters out there … are not me."

Ginny found herself looking around the room for the first time upon her entering it. The crib remained half-painted, sitting in the middle of the room, placed there to ensure that the morning sunlight from the window would shine directly upon it.

There was a creak outside on the landing, bringing her back to her senses. She turned to face the door and gripped her wand. Suddenly, a familiar slurred voice spoke on the other side of the door.

" Hey … red-haired girl …" she heard the voice distinctly call. " My sweet red-head, where are you?"

Ginny found herself backing away from the door. She withdrew her wand hand from out of her robes and backed up slowly until she hit something solid – Draco. 

" Sorry," she muttered when she trod on his foot. He said nothing and all she felt was his chest move with his breathing against her back. She moved forward slightly.

" My scarlet-headed princess!" the voice called, and Ginny knew it was nearer. There were four doors on the upstairs landing. She heard each door opening then slamming shut.

The first door slammed shut, then the second.

" This is the room they always avoid when they can," muttered Draco. 

The third door slammed, and the creaking grew loud once again. " Red-head?" The voice was directly on the other side of the door. Ginny gripped her wand tightly. 

Suddenly, the next few things that happened occurred so fast, Ginny hardly had time to process anything.

She felt a force twisting her body around, and a split second the door to the nursery flung open, Draco had swooped down and pressed his lips to hers, sustaining their contact, running his lips around hers. 

" Oh, excuse me …" It was Devan, the stubble-ridden Death Eater. Draco suddenly broke apart from her, acting as bewildered as if Devan had caught them in the midst of passion. Ginny felt completely numb, all she could do was turn to her head to face the drunken Death Eater.

" Red-head! Why, there you are …" Devan laughed stupidly. " Well, Malfoy, I'll be! You usually don't seem enthusiastic about the young ladies in our home."

Ginny stared at the man in disgust, trying with difficulty to hide her disdain. 

Devan laughed again. " Well, then again, you _are_ a man. And what a fine choice you have here… " He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Ginny felt a pang of anger, yet she sustained it. If she remained quiet, she might get out of the situation alive.

" Well, Devan," said Draco, and Ginny was surprised at how his tone of voice had changed from serious to slick and greasy. " If you would be kind enough to, er, excuse us. We would like to be alone." She felt Draco put his arms around her waist.

The drunken Devan smirked and shut the door, leaving Ginny's heart pounding in her throat. She quickly moved away from Draco and he let her go just as immediately. 

Ginny hadn't the slightest clue why, but her face was growing steadily hotter. She turned to the window and approached it. Rain was running down on the other side of the glass, and she heaved it open, getting her hands wet.

" Go through the back yards, and run back home," said Draco. His voice was back to normal again – he sounded indifferent.

Ginny nodded, her mind buzzing. She lifted her leg onto the windowsill to climb out, when out of the corner of her mind she thought of Hermione … and then the knitting needles she had come here for. Now that Ginny was there, it seemed so long ago that she had left the house on her foolish quest. Part of her wished she'd never come as she turned, approached the dresser, and absently grabbed Hermione's knitting supplies. 

Ginny glanced at Draco on her way back to the windowsill, and she saw with surprise that he was looking right back at her, his eyes narrowed.

She had no way of telling whether he was worried or angry; probably, it was the latter. Or was it both?

" Thank you," she muttered, feeling heat rise up to her face.

When Draco said nothing, Ginny took it as a sign to get out of the house as quickly as possible … and she did just that. She climbed out of the window, drawing up her hood to detract the downpour.

She climbed down the side of the house, then quickly took the route through the backyards of the adjacent houses up the hill.

She recalled the few minutes she'd spent in Hermione and Ron's lodge – once a haven of safety, now a billet of Death Eaters. The Death Eaters were so … sick, hidden behind their white masks, curtained by their facades as respectable wizards. She thought of the drunken man. Where had his life gone wrong? What had caused him to run around a house chasing after a girl he thought was some random redheaded whore?

And where did Draco Malfoy fit into all this? It seemed as though he was the one thing that blurred the heavy distinction between good and evil. Perhaps he had been right, Ginny thought bitterly, as though annoyed at such a thought. She classified everybody into either group and never thought to consider any ambivalence within the conflicting elements of good and evil.

Recalling Draco's words brought that entire night back to Ginny's memory. It'd been warm outside; unlike the cold, wet day it was today. He'd told her off for her stubbornness and disbelief in his claim that all Death Eaters were 'not the same'. It was so dark … their faces were so close …

Ginny widened her eyes and shook her head forcefully. How did such a thought even go into her head? They'd been in a tight space that night. And it was dark.

_But what about today_? a voice asked, coming from some deep, dark corner within Ginny's mind. She and Draco had _not_ been in any form of a tight space. They'd had the whole room to each other. Yet they were so close … their lips touched …

Ginny had to laugh at herself now – aloud. Of course, how could she forget that if he had not kissed her, she'd be dead? He had saved her by kissing her, he had.

_Let's not think about this anymore_. Ginny tried to focus on the mushy ground beneath her feet instead as she continued up the hill.  
She clutched Hermione's knitting supplies and shuddered as her hair caught raindrops and they rolled down her neck.

* * * * *

Rain continued to stream down the other side of the glass window. Draco had shut it as soon as he saw Ginny's red cloak disappear from sight.

He neglected the book he'd been reading earlier and seated himself on the drafty carpeted floor. The air was thick with humidity and tension.

Draco wanted to feel as indifferent as he'd acted. Ginny had blushed furiously, he noticed, and rushed out of the window.

The temperamental, childlike innocence of Ginny had made him feel obligated to help and protect her. He was immediately sickened at this thought and screwed up his face. It wasn't as though he was turning his back on the Death Eaters, he reasoned. He'd grown up around these men, and was fairly comfortable in their presence. He was also rather indifferent to the deaths of those he did not know well. Draco laid his hand on the cold carpet and frowned. Why should he care about strangers dying? As long as he never knew them and had no involvement in their death, he was apathetic towards the idea. 

But Ginny. He knew her – at least he did slightly. He'd gone to school with her, and sitting there on the floor at 22 years old, he still distinctly remembered teasing her at Hogwarts. 

Just that day, she'd looked at him with anxious eyes. A man had stood at the door, one who was capable of taking more than her life.

It was no lie that he hated to see her so scared and upset (though he did not care to admit such a thing). He thought of Devan, so foolishly chasing Ginny, and imagined what would've happened had she not come into this room. He closed his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to think of such an ugly idea.

So it was a _good_ thing that he'd kissed her. He had _saved her life_. Draco sneered, though obviously nobody saw him, as he was alone. He grew complacent at his justifying this kiss. 

He'd _only_ done it to save her life, after all.

* * * * *

A/N: I'm really not confident with this weird ending. I just wanted to upload this chapter because I'd had it partially finished for ages. I promise to have the next chapter up sooner!


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